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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29576325">Crossroads</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalsnowflakes/pseuds/crystalsnowflakes'>crystalsnowflakes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hollow Dreams [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M, Final Fantasy VII Spoilers, Goodbyes, Loneliness, Self-Sacrifice</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:15:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>930</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29576325</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalsnowflakes/pseuds/crystalsnowflakes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>More than anything, she longs to have more time.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hollow Dreams [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983902</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Crossroads</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Aerith had been trying to settle her nerves the past hour. She could hear nothing except for herself—her heartbeat thrummed loudly, her breaths uneven and harsh.  It was so quiet that she could hear ringing in her ears.  And yet, even in the quiet stillness of the eerie silence, the voices of the planet were remarkably absent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Where were they when she needed the most guidance?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was not often honest enough with herself to admit how lonely her existence was, but right now, kneeling in the ethereal quietude with her eyes closed, she acknowledged it.  It seemed as if an unfathomable abyss had opened up and she was completely and utterly insignificant in the face of it all.  The quietness was so loud that it made her dizzy and the realization that she was truly alone in the world took her breath away—she tried desperately to think of the ivory marble nestled in the curls of her hair instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was futile though—as much as she tried to stay focused, her mind continued to drift towards the way the blue of his eyes glowed softer for her, the way the dimple on his cheek appeared when he smiled, the way the cocky quirk of his lips sent her heart racing.  It was the longest she had ever been apart from him since she had met him all those weeks ago and she missed him so much that her entire being ached.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t help that she knew she didn’t have much time left…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And at that very moment, Aerith longed for so much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were so many wishes and dreams that would never come true, that would never be fulfilled.  She wanted a future with him—full of laughter and tears, full of happiness and sadness.  Most of all, she wanted a chance at motherhood—she wanted a chance to be a mother and to love her children.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And yet, she knew that even if her life were to end in the next moment, she would never regret whatever memories she had made in this lifetime with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she had spent so much time pushing away these thoughts, knowing that she could never have them, that she hadn’t had time to </span>
  <em>
    <span>mourn</span>
  </em>
  <span>—the deep feeling of grief that had often descended on her as of late gripped her again relentlessly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A sudden sense of helpless dread filled her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Had she made a mistake somewhere along the way?  Was that why the planet wasn’t communicating with her?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she envisioned the blazing comet colliding towards Midgar with a horrific groan—the sound was so sharp and piercing and so </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> in her head that she winced and she felt her heart jump to her throat as fear clung to her.  She watched with bated breath as the luminous light of Holy raced against the clock to clash against Meteor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She couldn’t help but wonder if this was how she felt last time, if this was what she saw.  Was this how she felt last time—so powerless and full of uncertainty?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before she could gather the rest of her thoughts, everything turned blindingly white.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Please… Lend us your strength.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Her vision faded abruptly and she felt herself being pulled back to reality forcefully—she kept her eyes shut as she attempted to refocus her concentration.  Whatever glimpse of the future she had seen had set her on edge and she felt nauseated at the destruction and death she had just observed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And before she could truly calm herself sufficiently, she heard a loud commotion in front of her—a cacophony of screams that sounded so familiar to her.  It took her a moment to realize that they were the voices of people she had grown to trust and love in the short time that they had been together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her heart pounded in her ears, her mind raced and to her surprise, she felt burning tears stinging her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t matter how much she had dreaded this exact moment, how much she had hoped it would never come—time waited for no one.  Despite the fact that she had prepared herself for her impending doom, she was blown away by the reality that she wasn’t ready—that she would </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> be ready to say goodbye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Idly, she wondered if that was the human side of her speaking.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Aerith…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She loved the way her name rolled off his tongue with familiarity, as if he had uttered it thousands of times before, as if he had thought of nothing else but her—she tried not to be bothered by the dread and anguish in his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Swallowing the lump in her throat, she forced the tears back before her eyes fluttered open, a small smile playing on her lips.  Their gazes met and she found herself frozen in place, unable to tear her gaze from the mesmerizing shade of blue that reminded her so much of the sky she had once been so afraid of.  They were the eyes she had fallen for so long ago—another lifetime ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>More than anything, she longed to have had more time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking into his distinct eyes with the sudden stillness in the air, the faint sounds of the water flowing, it was almost as if everything stopped—as if time stood still.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And yet, she knew that no matter how much she wished for this moment to last forever, it wouldn't.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Above her, the distinct sound of the Masamune whistled through the air.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is the last part of this particular series… I'm so sorry for the 'cliffhanger'!</p><p>Having said that—I do have an Alternate Universe/Canon Divergent series in the planning process, so please keep an eye out. :)</p><p>As usual, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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